Seedling dispersion and population structure of rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora Ducke) in Ucayali, Peru

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Abstract
Aniba rosaeodora is a valuable species of the Amazon, being extensively logged to extract linalool - a secondary metabolite that fixes cosmetic perfumes, which has led to its overexploitation and near extinction. Forest conservation and management efforts are hampered by insufficient knowledge about the distribution of A. rosaeodoraseedling and population structure. Therefore, in the present study we sought to understand these patterns in a central-eastern tropical forest in the Peruvian Amazon, where seed dispersal result mainly from barochory and zoochory. The average distance of seedlings from their seed trees was 18.3 ± 9.3 m, with a maximum of 44 m from the seed tree, and the emergent population structure was 53.4% seedlings; 12.2% saplings; 27% stems and 7.4% adult trees, fitting the Weibull model (shape 2.1; scale 20.2). In selected plots, we observed population density ranging from 7 to 3.3 ind ha-¹, with a low presence of adult trees (0.5 ind ha-¹). Trees with diameters > 20 cm were grouped in clusters of 2 to 5 individuals, with a Morisita index of 1.97 in the F-distribution (p > 0.05) and were spaced on average 97 to 110 m apart. Our analysis indicated that the population was unsustainable, with a high probability of co-ancestry, as indicated by the exponential (R2 = 0.98) and Liocourt’s quotient (q = 1.5-3). Nevertheless, the area holds significant potential for the conservation of the species’ genetic resources.

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